


Epiphany

by SeriouslySiri



Category: Tales of Series, Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Angst, M/M, Multi, holiday-ish?, tales secret santa 2019
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22169014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeriouslySiri/pseuds/SeriouslySiri
Summary: Yuri wasn't going to do anything for the new years celebration. At least, not until he gets a letter from the capital. Now not only does he need to dress up, but he needs to figure out how he is going to exact his revenge on Flynn for inviting him to the fancy shindig at the castle and using Estelle to get him to go. That is, if he reaches Zaphias alive.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Epiphany

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my Tales of Secret Santa over on Tumblr! They requested Flynn, Yuri, + Estelle with angst or action or something holiday-esk. So I decided to try and wrap in as much as I could! It ended up being way longer than I thought it was going to be and I also managed to contract the flu the last week I was trying to finish it up so part one for now and part two to come very soon! 
> 
> Happy Holidays friends!

Yuri _wasn’t_ going to do anything special for the new year’s celebration. He wasn’t going to go out of his way to go to a party in Danghrest since he didn’t really know too many people outside of his guild and didn’t really care to get to know them at the crazy shindigs that were sure to be happening. On a mission? Sure. At a guild meeting? Made sense. Five kegs into what Yuri would bet a crazy amount of money is the best alcohol the local taverns have in their basement? No thanks.

Brave Vesperia decided it was better to save funds rather than throw their own party since their space still needed some, or a lot, of work done. Really Karol decided that which was fine because he had been invited to the Hunting Blade’s party and Raven apparently had other plans (and Yuri wasn’t going to touch that with a ten foot pole). Judy was on a job with a couple of their newest recruits which left him and Repede to do their own thing.

A year was a year and while this past one has been very different from what Yuri expected on the daily, he’d rather get past the whole world almost ending thing and just start a new one. Because no matter how hard he tried, Yuri always found himself reflecting on the last day of the year, which is sort of the point, but it always put him in a bad mood. He’ll take the quiet of the guild for a night, maybe watch some fireworks, and then start from day one and enjoy what he gained over the past year instead of think about the intricacies of how he gained it.

So no, he _wasn’t_ going to do anything special for the new year.

Until a scroll came addressed directly to him, rolled up on thick parchment with the seal of the empire stamped in gold wax. Yuri was dubious at first, since Estelle was the only one that sent him mail regularly and it was usually a normal, square letter on normal paper and Flynn would always toss in a small letter to him whenever she wrote. It turned out to be an invitation to the castle to celebrate a new year and a new relationship between the Empire and the Guilds and was even signed by Yoder and Flynn. Nice gesture, but not really Yuri’s thing… which was clearly what Flynn expected because a smaller parchment fell to the floor that had one simple word on it written in familiar script.

**_Please?_ **

Leave it to Estelle to at least ask nicely.

Also, leave it to Flynn for knowing _exactly_ how to get him to agree to something so excruciatingly awkward. Because it was definitely Flynn and _not_ Estelle who also knows that slipping that note in the official letter would work, but would never dream of being that evil.

Not only is the entire shindig at the castle going to be literal torture, but the trip from the get go has been miserable. It is _cold_ and not the usual winter cold, but _cold_ cold, colder than Hypionia cold and Yuri vaguely regrets leaving the scarf Estelle knit him a couple month ago at the guild. So after a quick stop in Halure to pick up a hat for himself and a small blanket for Repede, Yuri finds himself plotting all the ways he’s going to pay Flynn back for this complete betrayal of their friendship.

“What do you think Repede,” Yuri glances down briefly as Repede lets out a yawn. “Should we pretend we got lost and just crash old Hanks’ party?”

_Bark!_

“Yeah, I think Flynn would have me arrested if I no showed.”

_Bark!_

“No kidding. I guess I shouldn’t let these fancy clothes go to waste, I spent way too much on them.” Yuri shifts his pack on his shoulder and eyes Repede who is definitely smirking at him. “Hey, don’t think you’re getting off easy! I got you a fancy collar to match.” And if Repede’s low growl isn’t enough to show his displeasure, his glare is scarier than any a human has ever given Yuri. “You heard me. Estelle is going to absolutely love it and we are never going to hear the end of it.”

_Bark bark!_

Yuri shrugs. “If I have to suffer so do you.” Dipping down he gives Repede a quick ruffle between the ears and pet down the back, “Well at least it’ll be warm in the castle and hey, maybe if we get there before lunch we can make Flynn buy us something to eat. The food at the gala tomorrow probably won’t be even remotely edib-” but there’s a tenseness in Repede that forces Yuri to pause. It’s not the cold that is causing a barely noticeable tremble down the dog’s spine. “What’s up buddy?”

The only answer Yuri gets is the smallest twitch of Repede’s ears and he doesn’t need to think twice before dropping his bag to the ground and tossing his sword sheath aside. He sets his stance just a little wider as Repede moves to cover behind him with a low growl. “Who’s there?”

* * *

At first, Estelle came to Flynn’s office looking for a quiet place to read, at least, that is what she told him.

It made sense; the castle was basically chaos incarnate with preparations for the celebration that evening. The halls were packed with staff putting up decorations or running back and forth on various errands. If the number of times he’d been interrupted from his work that morning is any indication of how many times Estelle probably got bombarded with questions, he was happy to let her plop down in a chair in the quiet for a little.

And it had been quiet, very quiet. When Flynn realized he hadn’t heard a page turn in Estelle’s book for awhile he caught her staring wide eyed out the window at the lightly falling snow. Eventually the book made its way onto a table and the chair was left empty while pink began shuffling around the room. First Estelle browsed over the books on the book shelf, something Flynn found a little funny since she’s already read them all at least twice. Then pink made its way to the window to watch the snow for a little and then back to the book shelf…

She hasn’t stopped since.

It’s not that Flynn cares much for the gaudy carpet that blankets the middle of his office floor, but if Estelle doesn’t stop pacing it’s going to need to be replaced sooner rather than later.

Flynn, paperwork long forgotten, sets the pen he is idling flipping between his fingers down and leans back in his seat at an angle he knows will make a loud enough creak to catch the princess’ attention. “Lady Estellise-“

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!” Estelle snaps with a small muffle stomp of her heel and she turns to him, fists clenched at her sides. Then fingers uncurl and immediately cover a small gasp. “I’m so sorry Flynn. That was uncalled for.”

Flynn flinches. He knows she doesn’t mean to snap at him, she’s stressed and worried and he can’t entirely blame her. Flynn’s been half expecting a fist to come around the corner of a hall or doorway all morning followed by a promise for further retribution for making Yuri put on an ironed shirt. The other half of him was trying to scream at him that something wasn’t right.

Yuri was due in town yesterday and had yet to make his grand appearance or, at the very least, begrudging appearance. While Yuri isn’t the most punctual person Flynn knows, he also isn’t someone who shows up offensively late.

“It’s fine, Estelle.” The way she scrunches up her face means she doesn’t believe him, but Flynn waves it off with his hand as he stands up and makes his way to the front of his desk. “Yuri probably just got distracted with some monsters. You know how he is, any chance to get a couple flips in and he doesn’t have a care in the world.”

“Oh, like you’re any different.” Estelle tries to tease, but it falls flat as she glances to the window again. “I just have this feeling Flynn. Something is wrong and I know that doesn’t make any sense, but we need to go-”

The knock on the door causes them to both jump and Estelle visibly pales as Flynn whirls around a little quicker than usual. He doesn’t so much run across his office as he does throw himself at the door to fling it open.

“Commander?”

_Sodia_. Flynn has to close his eyes for a moment to keep his disappointment from showing. He was sort of hoping for a fist to the face. Okay, he was _really_ hoping for a fist to the face or a snarky comment or _anything_ that meant the sickening knot in Flynn’s stomach was unmerited.

Stepping back Flynn nods. “Come in, Lieutenant.”

“Sir, I need-“ Sodia pokes her head around the door and suddenly rushes in, nearly tripping on a sloppy bow as she spots Estelle. “I’m sorry your highness, I didn’t realize you were here.”

“It’s okay.” Turning to pick up her book Estelle glances at Flynn and raises an eyebrow before heading to the door. “I will see you at the celebration later.”

Flynn nods and watches her leave before turning back to Soda. He needed to make this quick because that look he just got meant he didn’t have a lot of time before he will need to catch up to Estelle once she leaves the castle. “Is there something you need?”

Sodia, however, is staring at the still open door. “Um, is everything okay, Sir?”

Sighing Flynn crosses his arms and pinches the bridge of his nose. “She’s worried that Yuri hasn’t arrived yet and honestly? I am too. The weather looks like it’s getting pretty bad out there and it’s not like Yuri to be _this_ late.”

“Well didn’t you say that Yuri probably wouldn’t want to come to the celebration?” Sodia frowns at him. “Maybe he decided to stay in Danhgrest with the rest of his vigilante friends.”

“Careful, Lieutenant.”

“Sorry, Sir.”

_You don’t sound sorry._ Flynn isn’t sure what he expects, but the obvious venom in Sodia’s voice is a bit unnerving. He knows she’s not the biggest fan of Yuri and he’s tried his best to understand her reasoning. A lot of it make sense; Flynn does have a soft spot for Yuri and when it comes to his best friend, he does tend to act a bit out of character, but he doesn’t know how to explain to her that that is never going to change.

Flynn sighs and straightens up a bit, “Now, what is it that you need.”

“The morning perimeter patrol unit in the south missed their latest check in.”

_Oh good._ “Was it a unit that was patrolling outside the city?”

Sodia nods. “Ever since we lost the barrier blastia the monsters in the surrounding plains have been getting more aggressive at their attempts to get in the city. It’s almost like they know they can just walk in our front doors.”

“Monsters have never been unintelligent. We just never considered how lucky we were to have the barriers.” Flynn leans over his desk and snatches up the cloak hanging off the back of his chair. “I’ll head down south to their patrol quarter and check it out. I’d like you to gather some reinforcements and meet up with the unit in the northern quarter. Lock up the gate and then split the battalion to sweep down to the east and west.”

“Shouldn’t I come with-“

“I’ll be fine, Sodia. We’re a bit strapped for help because of the holiday and I would rather you have the back up.” Flynn ties off his cloak and nods to the door. “Don’t make me say that’s an order.”

“Sir!”

As soon as Sodia is out of sight Flynn takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. It’s shaky and doesn’t so much calm his nerves as it does make him aware of just how tense he is.

_Damn it!_

He feels so unbalanced when it comes to Yuri. Thinking about him in even the slightest bit of danger makes his heart skip a beat and he can feel his chest tighten, threatening an onslaught of panic he can’t afford to waste time fighting.

He can’t lose focus, not now. Not when everything is teetering on the edge of compete disaster. For as much as Flynn wants to rip his armor off and go look for Yuri, he is the commandant of the empire and he won’t fail his soldiers. He won’t become the very thing he’s fought against his whole life.

And despite knowing that’s exactly how Yuri would want it, it still hurts. Spirits, it _sucks_.

It’s just like Zaude and Flynn’s worst nightmares consist of reliving the hell that was those two weeks thinking the Yuri was gone. Knowing that Yuri was gone. Having to accept that Yuri was gone.

Then Yuri _wasn’t_ gone and Flynn realized that there was nothing in the world that he was scared of more than having to go through that again. _Nothing_ ever was or ever will be.

_Damn it, Yuri. I’m going to kill you._

* * *

Despite the ever-present nausea that has kept her from eating all day and the voice in her head that has been screaming ‘something’s wrong!’ at her since the sun rose, Estelle lets a small smile creep up her face as Flynn comes half running down the stairs to the lower quarter. She knew he was worried, even if he was determined not to let it show. Still half running was definitely not the best sign. He was clearly in a hurry, but also trying not to make it look like-

_Oh, oh no. Something’s wrong._

“Flynn!” Estelle runs out from under the awning she’s taken shelter under and flips the hood on her cloak up to try and protect her face from the snow whipping around. “What’s going on?” The way Flynn hesitates as he turns to meet her makes Estelle’s stomach flip, but she catches his gaze and doesn’t let him look away. _Please please please just-._ “Tell me.”

“The southern patrol missed their check in.”

Estelle bites her lips and swallows hard. “But that’s…that’s the road that leads to Halure.” _The road Yuri is traveling on._

Flynn tears his gaze away and sets off down the street slowly until he’s past the residential houses. Pausing, Flynn glances around quickly before sprinting out of the gate towards the plains. “Let’s go!”

Now it’s not just Yuri that could be in trouble and that makes the knot in Estelle’s stomach tighten even more. How Flynn does it, how he keeps his façade of calm despite everything will never cease to amaze her. Right now, she wants to run reckless into the storm the same way she wanted to jump into the waters around Zaude to look for Yuri when he fell.

She can’t lose him again. She can’t and she knows Flynn feels the same way, but she also knows Flynn’s first priority is now the missing soldiers. They were his men and Yuri…well Yuri is not and she hates that. She hates that he’s forced to choose. She hates that one life is considered less than another just because they aren’t a part of the empire’ because they chose to live their life differently.

It’s so very wrong, and for how much it makes her want to scream she can’t imagine how it makes Flynn feel. Estelle considers herself lucky; despite being a member of the empire, or the small detail of being the princess of the empire, she feels like she has way more freedom than Flynn does. She could run off right now and look for Yuri and no one would say anything to her, but if Flynn did that… well if his own guilt didn’t eat him alive then the council would certainly have a few words to say about it.

Yuri would probably kill them both for doing anything like that. No, Yuri would _definitely_ kill them.

It isn’t until Estelle can barely make out Flynn’s blue cape in front of her that she realizes just how hard it is snowing. The walls within the city cut the wind down, but out on the plains the snow was falling in every direction, including up. The wind itself was deafening as it batters Estelle and she has to slow down a couple of times to keep from being knocked off her feet. Flynn doesn’t seem bothered and she vaguely wondered how much of that was his determination and how much of it was his armor.

Which she almost collides with as Flynn skids to a halt with a hand on his hilt. “Flynn?”

Flynn puts a finger to his lips and peers around. “Something is-“

_Bark!_

“Repede!”


End file.
